1 Risk Management Department Welding Safety May, 2008

2 Welding Safety Introduction If you weld as part of your job, you probably already have a great deal of experience. In the interest of keeping you and your co-workers safe, APS has developed this training to remind you of rules and procedures for welding safely.

3 Welding Safety Introduction In this training we will cover:  What is welding?  What are the hazards?  How do we deal with hazards?

4 Welding Safety What is Welding?  Welding joins two pieces of metal by the use of heat and/or pressure  Brazing or soldering involves a filler metal which has a lower melting point than the metal pieces to be joined  Metal cutting is done by heating the metal with a flame and directing a stream of pure oxygen along the line to be cut

5 Welding Safety What is Welding? There are many types of welding:  Arc Welding  Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW)  Metal Inert Gas (MIG)  Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG)  Plaza Arc Welding (PAW)  Submerged Arc Welding (SAW)  And Many More…..more than 80 in all

6 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards As you know, welding can be a dangerous business. There can be many health hazards associated with welding:  Gases and fumes  Heat and burns  Visible and invisible radiation  Musculoskeletal disorders  Electrical hazards, and…

7 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards  Fires and explosions  Dangerous machinery  Trips and falls  Compressed Gas  Noise  Confined spaces

8 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Gases and fumes  Welding “Smoke” is a mixture of very fine particles  It can be made up of chromium, nickel, arsenic, asbestos, manganese, silica, beryllium, cadmium, nitrogen oxides, phosgene, acrolein, flourine compounds, carbon monoxide, cobalt, copper, lead, ozone, selenium, and zinc

9 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards Gases and fumes  Generally, gases and fumes come from…  Base material & filler material  Coatings & paints  Shielding gases & chemical reactions  Process & consumables used  Contaminants in the air

10 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards Gases and fumes  Exposure to welding “smoke” may have:  Short-term effects Effects happen at or very soon after exposure  Long-term effects Effects may happen after repeated overexposures or an extended time after the exposure

11 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards Gases and fumes - short-term exposure  Exposure to zinc, magnesium, copper and copper oxide can cause metal fume fever  Symptoms of metal fume fever may occur 4 to 12 hours after exposure  Symptoms include: Chills, thirst, fever, muscle ache, chest soreness, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, nausea, and metallic taste in mouth  Welding “smoke” can irritate the eyes, nose, chest and respiratory tract

12 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards Gases and fumes - short-term exposure  Welding “smoke” can cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, pulmonary edema, and pneumonitis  Welding “smoke” can cause nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, cramps, and slow digestion  Exposure to cadmium can be fatal in a short time  Ultraviolet radiation can react with oxygen and nitrogen to form ozone and nitrogen oxides.

13 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards Gases and fumes Long-term exposure  Cancer – lung, larnyx and urinary tract  Chronic respiratory problems, including… Bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, emphysema, pneumoconiosis, decreased lung capacity and silicosis  Other health problems… Heart disease, skin diseases, hearing loss, chronic gastritis, gastro-duodenitis, and ulcers of the stomach and small intestine

14 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Heat and burns  Heat exposure, heat stress and heat stress  Burns, hot slag, metal chips, sparks, and hot electrodes

15 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards ? Visible and invisible radiation  Visible light, and ultraviolet and infrared radiation  Intense light can cause damage to retina  Infrared radiation may damage the cornea and result in cataracts  Invisible UV light can cause “arc eye” or “welders’ flash.” May include sandy or gritty eye, blurred vision, intense pain, tearing, burning and headache

16 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Musculoskeletal disorders  Back injuries, shoulder pain, tendonitis, reduced muscle strength, carpal tunnel syndrome, white finger, and joint diseases  Injuries may be caused by overhead work, vibration and heavy lifting

17 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Electrical hazards  Even though welding generally uses low voltage, there is still a danger of electric shock  Wet work areas  Even small shock can cause brain damage  Death can occur from large shocks

18 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards ? Electrical hazards  Always use dry gloves  Always wear rubber soled shoes  Always use insulating layers  Protect yourself from surfaces that conduct electricity  When working on electrically powered machinery, make sure the frame is grounded  Keep insulation on all welding equipment and components dry and in good condition  Don’t change electrodes with bare hands, wet gloves or while standing on wet or ungrounded surfaces

19 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Fire and explosion hazards  Intense heat and sparks can cause fires or explosions if in the vicinity of combustible or flammable materials  Welding and cutting should only be performed in areas free of combustible materials such as trash, wood, paper, textiles, plastics, chemicals, and flammable dusts, liquids and gases

20 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Fire and explosion hazards  Never weld or cut on containers that have held a flammable or combustible material unless the container is thoroughly cleaned or filled with an inert gas  A fire inspection should be performed prior to leaving a work area and for at least 30 minutes after the operation is completed  Fire extinguishers should be nearby, of proper size, type and number for the hazards involved

21 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Dangerous machinery  All machines in the area with moving parts must be guarded to prevent worker’s contact  When repairing machinery by brazing and welding, power must be disconnected, locked- out, and tagged so the machinery cannot be started up accidentally

22 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Trips and Falls  Keep work areas clear of equipment, machines, cables, and hoses  Always properly maintain and use handrails  Always use and maintain safety lines, harnesses and lanyards  Always make sure that scaffolds are properly assembled and used

23 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Compressed Gas  Gas welding and cutting use a fuel gas and oxygen which are stored in high pressure cylinders  Most fuel gases are explosive  Pure oxygen will increase the flammability of any combustible/flammable material

24 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Compressed Gas  All cylinders should have caps or regulators  Pressure regulators must be designed for gas in use  Check all equipment and components prior to use  Cylinders must be stored upright and secured  Oxygen and fuel gas cylinders must be stored separately  Close cylinder valves when work is completed or left unattended during breaks, etc.

25 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Confined space  A work area with limited access, little or no airflow, not intended for continuous occupation  May also have dangerous atmospheres, hazardous configurations, or other hazards  All employees working in or around confined spaces must be trained

26 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Confined space  Never weld or cut in explosive, flammable, combustible or other dangerous environments  Always use all necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including, harness and lanyard, respiratory protection, eye protection, etc.  Never work in confined space without a trained attendant

27 Welding Safety What are the Health Hazards? Confined space  Always leave gas cylinders and welding power sources outside the confined space  Only take hoses or welding leads into confined space  Always removed hoses and/or leads when leaving confined space for breaks, shift or crew changes, etc.

28 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? A Three-Step Process: Identify Hazard(s) Implement appropriate control method(s) Use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

29 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Identify Hazard  Identify hazards and potential hazards prior to beginning hot work  Read the MSDS sheet to identify the hazardous material used in welding and cutting products, and the fumes that may be generated  Make sure that you know what you are welding before beginning

30 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Controls  Substitute less hazardous materials for hazardous materials  Use cadmium-free silver solders  Use asbestos- free electrodes, gloves, and hot pads  Use ventilation to move away or dilute hazards  Use work area barriers to protect others working in the same general area

31 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Controls  Modify the process or follow safe work practices so that hazards are eliminated or reduced to the minimum Don’t weld on painted surfaces Position yourself away from fumes; remove nearby flammables/combustibles Properly maintain equipment Proper housekeeping Use lowest possible amperage  Never weld or cut within 200 feet of degreasing equipment or solvents

32 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)  PPE must be used in conjunction with controls and safe work practices  Eye protection should be used in all welding operations  Use appropriate filters on eye protection

33 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)  Fire resistant gauntlet gloves  Headcap  High top hard toed shoes  Leather apron  Faceshield  Flame retardant clothing  Safety Glasses  Safety helmet

34 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Hearing protection  Ear plugs and/or muffs should be worn during noisy operations such as air arcing or grinding  Most welding operations are noisy

35 Welding Safety How do we Deal With Hazards? Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Respirators  Must be specific to the hazard  Must be fitted, cleaned, stored and maintained in accordance to regulation and manufacturers’ specifications  NIOSH recommends respirators whenever a carcinogen is present

36 Welding Safety You are finished! You have finished the Welding Safety training. Download the quiz from the Risk Management website’s training page. Print the form and be sure to write your name, location and employee number in the spaces provided. Complete the ten questions and have your supervisor send it to the Risk Management office